Before The Typhoon
by Wandering Letters
Summary: After a little encouragement from Terra, Ventus asks Aqua out and realizes his feelings. Unfortunately, Aqua has a few personal problems to complicate things. Will they overcome them? Told from different POVs. Rated M for potential lemon.
1. Calming Waves

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

**Before The Typhoon**

**Chapter One: Calming Waves**

Smooth and soothing wind continued to blow ever since I lay in my usual spot. I didn't really care about what people said about me being lazy; this spot was definitely the best one in all of headquarters. I decided to take a nap here after training with Terra and Aqua; they really gave me a workout. I however, for some reason, couldn't take Aqua out of my mind. It was definitely a usual day of training save that Aqua as usual would beat me and Terra but for some reason, I found myself staring at her way more. There's just something about her that…draws me in, like a bed invites a sleepy person to.

She looks so…graceful, so elegant…oh what the heck am I saying to myself? I don't know anything about girls at all. Sure…I know I have a crush on her but to tell her that? I'd probably faint before I can even think of the words in her presence. My eyes drooped down and sleep took hold of me for a little while.

Then…as if by fate, Aqua appeared above me when I opened my eyes. I jumped to my feet and she started laughing at me.

"You're so lazy Ven, is sleep your favorite past time?" she asked.

I childishly made a mocking face and imitated her words, making her laugh again.

"I was just thinking about some stuff," I replied.  
"What kind of stuff?"  
"You know, life and stuff like that,"

She sat down beside me and we overlooked the center of headquarters.

"Ven, is something bothering you?" she asked.  
"Huh? What'd make you say that?"  
"Well, you've been spending a lot of time out here by yourself,"

I smiled to myself; typical Aqua, always looking out for me and Terra.

"I'm fine Aqua, promise,"  
"That's a relief,"

She took a slightly deep breath and looked out towards the horizon. The sunlight made her look like she just fell out of heaven and landed in my presence. Her blue hair blowing in the slight breeze, her gentle smile, her always flawless skin and her soothing voice, as well as her big sister like attitude towards me made me feel safe and also special; it took a lot for Aqua to care very deeply about someone. I gathered my courage.

"Aqua…have you ever had something you wanted to tell someone and you just couldn't tell them because you'd be afraid to see how they'd react?" I asked.

She paused for a moment before she turned to me and smiled.

"Well...once," she replied.  
"Did you ever tell the person what you wanted to tell him or her?"  
"No, I still haven't done it but someday soon, I'll make sure I will,"  
"I see,"

She turned to me, her beautiful blue eyes laying on mine. She then smiled at me again. I once again gathered my courage.

"Uhh…Aqua…there's," I began.  
"What're you two up to out here?"

I turned around to see Terra leaning against a doorframe. Great way to kill the mood Terra…

"What's up?" she asked.  
"Looked all over for you two, we got sparring to do," he replied.

I looked at the clock on the tower and realized that we were late. Aqua immediately summoned her keyblade and began to walk over to the sparring grounds. I sighed loudly and Terra heard me. He raised an eyebrow.

"Did I interrupt something important?" he asked.

His question startled me.

"No, nothing at all," I replied.  
"Don't try to lie to me Ven, you know I can read you like an open book,"

I grew nervous and Terra smiled at me. He obviously saw me blushing cause I knew I was.

"Oh? Is this a crush I sense Ventus?" he asked.  
"Shut up Terra…" I said turning away.

He chuckled.

"You know, it's perfectly fine, she's a great girl,"  
"I don't need you to tell me that,"  
"Well, if you had let me know, I wouldn't have interrupted,"  
"Why?"  
"Cause I want to see you happy, you're a good kid Ven, you're just too lazy,"

I sighed.

"Do you really think she'd like me back?"  
"I don't see why not, she likes you better than me anyways, she doesn't hang out with me anywhere near as much as she does with you,"

I looked at him in shock. I didn't see how she would pick me, the younger person over Terra, who's practically Mr. Awesome. I looked at Aqua as she walked away.

"Go for it Ven, the worst thing she can tell you is no,"  
"I'll try after dinner tonight…I hate that I let you coax me into this stuff,"  
"That's what best buds do!"

Terra gave me a pat on the head. To this day he was still much taller and larger than me but he never once looked down on me. He always tried to help me when I'm in a jam, just like a big brother would. Once again, my typical best friends. We left to do our sparring session.

Aqua as usual beat Terra but for some reason, Terra put up a much better fight. When it was Aqua's turn to fight against me, she was visibly tired. For the very first time, Aqua was having trouble beating me in a sparring session. She fired off a watera spell at me and I was clumsy enough to get hit by it, soaking and knocking me to the ground. I jumped back to my feet and used Aero, causing her jump back. I ran forward and I managed to get her to subdue by pointing my keyblade at her forehead. There was nothing she could do.

"Good job Ven…you finally got me," she said.  
"I got lucky, Terra gave you a big workout," I said humbly.  
"No, I shouldn't have tried so hard to beat him, it was my mistake,"

I moved the blade and it vanished from my hand before I held out a hand to her. She looked at it and smiled at me before she took it and I pulled her to her feet. I could tell that Terra was laughing his head off on the inside as he looked at me. I turned around and saw that Terra was walking away. He winked and held up a thumb to me which Aqua didn't see luckily for me. One thing about Terra that I always hated is that he makes me do things way earlier than I plan to.

"Umm…Ven, are you going to let go of my hand?"

I looked back at Aqua to see her looking at me with a curious yet happy look. I immediately released her hand and nervously scratched the back of my head. She giggled softly at me and nuzzled my hair.

"Shall we go to dinner?"  
"Yeah, I'm starving too but Aqua…can I tell you something?"  
"Sure, what's on your mind Ven?"  
"It's…kinda important," I whispered.  
"If it's important then tell me Ven…I won't get mad or anything,"

I swallowed air and stretched my collar out slightly.

"Well…uhh…" I began.

The clock tower dinged loudly.

"_Damn it,"_

"We'd better go, can we talk about this a bit later Ven?" she asked.  
"Sure, I can wait," I replied.

She gave me a hug to my surprise. My face turned into a tomato.

"You can talk to me about anything Ven, I hope you know that," she said.  
"I know…I intend to," I replied.  
"Great, after dinner,"

We walked inside and my brain went completely crazy; how am I was going to tell her what was within my heart…


	2. Flowing Wind

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

**Before The Typhoon**

**Chapter Two: Flowing Wind**

Dinner was good this time. I quickly went to my room to wait for Ven to come. I knew he had something important to tell me and I promised I would hear him out. For some reason, Ven seemed really nervous and that's not like him. I know he's the type of guy to jump into things without thinking or considering possibilities. For once, he seemed to have given what he wanted to say a lot of thought. I waited patiently for him, seeing as he said nothing during dinner. Soon, he walked through my door. I came out of my bathroom in my sleepwear. I saw him hide his face and I was positive he was blushing or something to that effect.

"Ven? What's the matter?"  
"Oh sorry Aqua…I didn't know you were-"  
"It's fine Ven, we're best friends and you're a good kid," I said as I winked at him.

That simple act seemed to send a hollow point of fear into his mind and he cringed a little. He then cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Come on Ven, you have something to tell me so go for it!"

He sat down with me on my bed and he looked away from me as he nervously tapped his fingers together. I knew why he was looking away and I wrapped a blanket around myself. I heard a small sigh and he turned back to me.

"Well…I don't know if I can tell you now…"  
"Oh come on Ven, what did I say before?"  
"It's not something I can just say…it's something that can-"  
"That can what?"

He became nervous again and started to take prolonged deep breaths. I held one of his hands in an attempt to calm him down. I myself grew a little nervous; there was something about him that made me feel warm inside. His hands were so warm in contrast to the cold night air. I didn't feel as bad touching his hands seeing as he turned 19 last week but I was still 3 years older than him. I knew for a fact that I've cared for him for the longest time and maybe…just maybe, my feelings are deeper than they appear. He seemed to calm down slightly and he cleared his throat. He barely began to say a word before the intercom went off.

"_Lights out in 15 minutes!"_

I really disliked the adjutant for headquarters but his timely interjections were one of the only reasons why Ven knew when to go to events around the perimeter. Ven seemed to have lost his resolve and rose from my bed. I immediately pulled him back down.

"Ven, whatever this is, it's bothering you…tell me,"  
"I…I can't,"  
"Yes you can, just say it!"

He sighed loudly and took a deep breath.

"We've been friends for a long time Aqua and I cherish it, every single moment of it,"

My heart raced and my cheeks turned into red Christmas lights. I knew at that moment exactly where he was going with this. My little thoughts and ideas of his feelings were turning out to be right more and more by the nanosecond.

"I've been thinking for a while about this and…I realize that I want…more,"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I guess what I'm trying to say here is that…I like you Aqua, I like you a lot and I want to be able to show you that,"

"_Smooth one Ventus,"_

"Are you saying that…you want to be with me?"

He turned away from me but he nodded as he shut his eyes tightly. He looks so cute when he blushes. As nervous as he is, he's handled the conflicts within himself very maturely and he chose to confront it head on instead of putting it off. I smiled at him and held his hand firmly but gently.

"Ok,"

He turned to me and he looked as if he had just seen a ghost. I smiled at him again and I innocently pecked his cheek. He sat back down and I looked at him lovingly. He smiled at me and leaned forward to me and pecked my cheek. His lips felt warm and soft to the touch. He then rose to his feet.

"What's the matter?"  
"I'm going to take a shower, I didn't get to bathe after our sparring session,"  
"Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

He looked back at me and smiled.

"See you in fifteen minutes?"  
"Ok,"

He walked out of the room, leaving me to my thoughts. I was glad he told me because I could honestly say that there was no way I would've been able to do the same to him on my own…unless…Terra had something to do with this…Oh well, it really doesn't matter to me, I'm very happy that he revealed what he did and I did vice versa. I had a feeling it would be alright and great to be around him from now on.


	3. Months Blown By

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

**Before The Typhoon**

**Chapter Three: Months Blown By**

It was nearly two months since I revealed my feelings for Aqua. We didn't really get to spend much time together thanks to her Keyblade Master duties and my long training sessions. The time we managed to spend together wasn't very eventful apart from us talking about everything we did during our mutual absences. She would always smile at me and always let me know that if I had problems, I could come to her and she would always make sure to let me know that she still wants to be with me. It was sort of frustrating that we hadn't shared a kiss during the entire relationship so far but I could understand Aqua's perspective; this was something completely new to her and she wasn't used to it. I was perfectly fine with her small gestures of affection; her lips were always soft and gentle on my cheeks.

We finally got a weekend break from missions and training thanks to our recent performance. I decided to sleep in for one day; I hadn't done that since the day before I revealed my feelings to Aqua. However, my idea was cut short when she somehow managed to get into my room without me knowing and poking me awake. I wasn't angry; in fact I was happy to see her.

"Hey Ven,"  
"Hi,"

She smiled at me again and hugged me, which I returned. She lay down beside me, resting her head on my chest. I stroked her cheek with my finger. She never did this before.

"Do you know what day it is?"  
"Uhh…Friday?"

She giggled at me and playfully smacked my shoulder.

"No silly, it's our two month anniversary!"  
"I know, I'm just kidding," I said sticking my tongue out.  
"You meanie,"

I poked her cheek and she stuck her tongue out childishly at me. Thankfully at least, she woke me up in the nighttime; I couldn't get angry at her for waking me up early.

"So what's up? Everything ok?"  
"Yeah, I'm just glad we have this weekend to ourselves,"  
"You going to sleep soon?"  
"Nope, I'm kinda guilty for sleeping in too so for once; you weren't the only lazy one,"

I chuckled loudly.

"So…did you miss me?" she asked as she put a hand to my cheek.  
"Of course I did,"

I smiled at her and held her close to me. To my surprise, she crawled up closer to me and rested her head directly beneath my chin and her arms encircled me. Her nose tickled my neck and her warm breath made my skin and nerves go haywire. Thankfully, two months of being in something with her has taught me to never lose my composure around her or by anything she does. It's not her fault she's so _irresistible_.

"Aqua…can I ask you something?"  
"Sure, what's on your mind?"  
"Are you okay with…you know,"

She looked at my eyes and blushed a little.

"You still remember my fear huh?"  
"I'm not pressuring, I just want to know if it's okay yet,"  
"Do you have to?"  
"It's very hard to tolerate not being able to kiss my girlfriend,"  
"I'm…nervous,"  
"Aqua, I'm not going to hurt you…you know I won't,"

She nodded slowly and sat up in my lap. I could tell by her facial expression that her heart was running a mile a minute and she was definitely hyperventilating. I held her hand gently and stroked it slowly with my thumb before I leaned forward. She cringed a little but she didn't move and her eyes turned to slits. I at first gave her a small peck to let her feel it before I continued further. Her eyes were shut when I leaned away and she let out a loud breath. I could tell that she was still extremely scared.

"I'll stop, I was wrong to do it…I'm sorry…"

I pulled away but she squeezed my hand.

"One more?..." she whispered.

I nodded and pecked her again but this time, she didn't let me move away. She then took the lead and tried it herself, pecking me several times, each one getting slightly longer. She then stopped for a few seconds to what seemed to be, catching her breath.

"Are you alright?" I asked in deep concern.

She moved close to me and stared into my eyes. It was a gentle and joyful look. I was thankful I learnt how to read her eyes instead of having to rely on facial expressions, which she didn't really show very much unless she was overjoyed or something to that effect. I was astonished and I was in disbelief. Was this really happening?

"Ven…kiss me…and I mean it," she whispered.  
"Are you sure?"  
"I'm positive,"

I nodded and my hands went to her lower back and held her loosely before I brought my lips backs to hers. She responded by wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me close. I still couldn't believe she was getting over her fear so quickly. Does she love me _**that**_ much?


	4. Flashback: First Date

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

**Before The Typhoon**

**Side Chapter: First Date**

_**Flashback**_

"_Ven let's get this one!"_

_I smiled at her and walked up to her, examining the clothes she was picking out. This was turning out to be a long first date but I wasn't complaining, not in the least. We decided to go to Radiant Gardens and check out the new mall. I would never have thought that Aqua could be such a shopaholic but it was fun so far. She hadn't spent a single piece of munny in all the time she had been working. She had plenty and so did I and surprisingly, even after Terra's lectures on never going shopping with a girl, it was a lot of fun._

"_Alright, try it on and let's see,"_

_She smiled at me and went into the changing room. I swallowed hard; some of the clothes she picked were a bit…enticing. She came out, wearing a shirt that revealed her belly button and long sleeves. It was a white shirt with the collar being large, making it slump over her shoulder, revealing more of her flesh. She also wore a slight baggy pair of black jeans. The jeans were a little form fitting from the top and grew baggier as it went down. All in all, it was one word…hot. I had to loosen the collar of my shirt to make it less warm._

"_What do you think Ven?"_

_My brain struggled to find the words to say._

"_They're…they're uhh…nice?"  
"Oh come on Ven, be honest,"_

_I smiled mischievously._

"_Ok fine, you look stunning,"_

_She lit up like a tomato._

"_See why I didn't say it?"  
"Oh be quiet," she said sticking her tongue out at me._

_I chuckled as she went off to buy the clothes she picked out. She thankfully didn't try on the swimsuit she picked; I had no idea if I would be able to maintain my composure if that were the case. We moved onto the Lasertag Arena and I sighed loudly; if there was one thing Aqua always had us beat in, it was shooting accuracy. Then again, as a mage, she has to have that accuracy. We strapped up and entered the arena. It was a large maze, clouded by what I thought to be the cheap dry ice + water combo. I moved slowly and carefully; Aqua had a way of always appearing out of nowhere and strike before you can even react. My hunch was right and I reacted fast enough to dodge her surprise attack from the left. I managed to get her in the shoulder and she giggled at the vibrations the gear gave off whenever it was shot. I ran to get away from her, zig zagging everywhere in an attempt to dodge but as usual, she got me right in the back in the middle. Sometimes, I hated her godlike accuracy._

_After the Lasertag Arena, we decided to have lunch. I insisted on paying and after about 20 minutes of debating, I won. We didn't really say a lot because we both were starving to death but we never broke eye contact. It was here that I realized that when Aqua cares about someone to the point of dating them, she constantly radiates love from even her eyes. Thus far, we hadn't argued or had a fight or anything negative at all. It wasn't until we went on the Ferris Wheel in the park 10 minutes out from the mall that I discovered things she didn't like._

"_I'm not so keen on heights, I don't mind them but this is a little high…"_

_I felt bad for making her go on there but she never told me anything she was afraid of. When the elevator stopped for a short while, we looked towards the night. I sat beside her instead of across from her._

"_It's beautiful isn't it?" she said as she looked at the stars.  
"Very," I replied._

_My hand held hers and her grip tightened._

"_Ven…I have something to tell you,"  
"You know I'm all ears,"_

_She took a breath and turned towards me. She looked embarrassed but at the same time serious._

"_This is kind of a late first date,"  
"Yeah no kidding, three weeks?"  
"You remember!"  
"Of course I do, how can I forget?"_

_She seemed a little bit more at ease but her face was still serious. I instinctively tried to kiss her to attempt to calm her down but a finger shot up and stopped me dead in my tracks. She looked scared._

"_That's what I have to tell you…I have a fear of kissing,"_

_My mind was blown and I was tempted to stumble back but I knew it wouldn't help the situation._

"_What? But you kiss me all the time,"  
"Cheek kisses, haven't you realized I never once went for your lips?"_

_She was right._

"_Why?"  
"I don't know, but whenever I want to, my heart goes crazy and my mind tells me to go away from it,"  
"So you're saying you have philematophobia?"_

_She nodded at me. I immediately looked down and sighed._

"_I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore…"  
"Are you kidding me? Look at what you're saying!"_

_She looked up at me._

"_Do you honestly think that your fear will make me stop liking you?"  
"I thought that my inability to kiss you would,"_

_I chuckled._

"_Aqua, I don't like you just because I want to kiss you, I like __**you**__, not what you will do,"_

_She lit up like a Christmas light._

"_I'm not going to stop dating you just because you can't bring yourself to kiss me, I'm not that shallow, I'm more than willing to be with you regardless of that fact,"_

_She hugged me deeply._

"_You'll conquer that fear sometime, I know you will and I know you can,"  
"I'll try…because I hate not being able to kiss you,"  
"How about a cheek then?"_

_She playfully conked me on the head but kissed my cheek. I held her close to me._

"_I love you Ven…"_

_I blushed and stroked her hair._

"_I love you too Aqua,"_

_Best date ever, period._


End file.
